Rose Hall vandalism has left residents facing the cost of replacing all of the estate’s hanging flower baskets after they were destroyed on Sunday night.
Local residents and volunteers had spent months planting and caring for the displays as part of their ongoing work to keep the Crosslanes estate clean, colourful and welcoming.
Mayor of Drogheda Cllr Declan Power condemned the vandalism and said it showed no respect for the residents who give their time to maintaining the area.
“This is absolutely shocking and a blatant act of anti-social behaviour against a community that does its very best to keep its estate clean and tidy,” he said.
“I work closely with the residents and see first-hand the time, effort and dedication that goes into maintaining the area, planting flowers, cutting grass and taking pride in their surroundings.”
Mayor Power said An Garda Síochána had been informed and was investigating the incident. He added that those responsible should be held accountable rather than leaving the community to pay for the damage.
Residents will not be beaten
Rose Hall Residents Association leader Jim Carr said residents were deeply upset but remained determined to restore the displays.
“This is just terrible,” he said. “Sadly, this is not the first time this has happened and it probably won’t be the last. However, we will regroup and we will not be beaten by these hooligans.”
He said maintaining the estate takes commitment, goodwill and a strong community spirit.
“It is costly having to replace these hanging baskets, but we will find a way to do it because we have tremendous pride in our estate and in our community.”
Mayor Power praised the Rose Hall residents for their resilience and said he fully supported their efforts to replace the damaged baskets.